After her transformation and rebirth, she manipulates the innocent and ruthless to overthrow the wor

"What do you mean by this?!" Emperor Jingyang was furious and slammed his fist on the table, the loud bang echoing through the palace.

“My father is getting old, and his greatest wish now is to see his son get married. But I am by nature indifferent to worldly affairs and have always been busy with military matters. In the words of you Central Plains people, I have never had a proper wife,” the eldest prince of the Western Xia Kingdom said calmly.

“I think General Xiao’s daughter is very suitable. As General Xiao’s only daughter, she must be brave and fearless, a perfect match for a brave and extraordinary person like me. This is what you Central Plains people call a good match.” He smiled slightly, but his eyes revealed an undeniable determination.

"Perhaps when my father hears that I'm getting married, he'll be so happy that he'll return the cities he ceded before." He said this vaguely, as if he were just making a joke.

However, the fact that the eldest prince of the Western Xia Kingdom spoke of such an important matter so lightly astonished everyone present.

Xiao Ran noticed that her father looked very unwell.

"This..." Emperor Jingyang seemed to be hesitant. After all, the matter proposed by the prince of Western Xia was not entirely without merit, and in some ways, it could even be beneficial to his Jing Kingdom.

After all, throughout history, in such a balancing act between the interests of two countries, the only precedent has always been to sacrifice the royal princess.

Now, for a woman who has nothing special about her and is even called a "good-for-nothing" to be chosen by the prince of the Western Xia Kingdom, in Emperor Jingyang's eyes, is already a great blessing for Xiao Ran.

But he didn't dare offend Xiao Mu...

Seeing that Emperor Jingyang remained silent for a long time, Xiao Mu became extremely anxious. He hurriedly walked into the hall, knelt down on one knee with a thud, and pleaded:

"Your Majesty! This is absolutely impossible!"

Before Emperor Jingyang could speak, the eldest prince of the Western Xia Kingdom, who was standing to the side, asked first, "Why not?"

Xiao Mu didn't even glance at the prince, but instead earnestly said to Emperor Jingyang, "Your Majesty, my daughter is only seventeen years old, not yet of marriageable age, and..."

The eldest prince of the Western Xia Kingdom interrupted without giving a chance to speak, saying, "In our Western Xia, a woman must marry when she turns fourteen."

Xiao Mu glared at him angrily, then said, "My daughter has only been back in the capital for two short years and is still ignorant about things like propriety and morality. It would be very inappropriate for her to marry a noble prince so rashly."

"It's alright. I don't think your daughter is stupid. She can learn these things slowly."

Xiao Mu blushed and said, "But my daughter knows nothing about romance and poetry, and she is not proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, or painting at all. Your Highness, you should find someone else!"

"What does this matter? The women of Western Xia are all forthright and strong-willed, and they would never learn such pretentious things. If your daughter is willing..."

The Western Xia prince turned his gaze toward where Xiao Ran was, his eyes filled with tenderness.

“We can certainly teach her our Western Xia tradition—horseback archery.”

"You!" Xiao Mu angrily pointed at him.

The Western Xia prince, with a nonchalant expression, said, "I think you should calm down and be a good father-in-law to me."

"Your Majesty! Look at him!" Xiao Mu was so angry that his chest felt tight. He forced himself to suppress his anger and bowed to Emperor Jingyang.

"Alright!" Emperor Jingyang's majestic voice boomed like a bell, pressing down heavily. "This matter... requires our consultation with your daughter first."

"Daughter of the Xiao family, are you willing to marry him?"

Xiao Ran slowly rose, gracefully moved to Xiao Mu's side, then knelt down and said in a clear voice, "I refuse!"

"Why?" Emperor Jingyang's tone was full of pressure. "Do you know what it means by saying those words?"

How could Xiao Ran not know? This meant that the Jing Kingdom was about to lose the easiest opportunity to recapture the city.

“I know, but I don’t want to get married! I don’t want to live a life where I’m constantly restricted by my husband’s family.”

Suddenly, a clear laugh rang out. It was the Western Xia prince who said loudly, "When did I ever say I wanted to restrain you?"

“You never said that, but I overheard your conversation with my father.”

“First, in Western Xia, women are to be married at the age of fourteen, while I am not only well past the age of marriage, but I also do not understand etiquette. Even if I am past the age, and even if you do not say anything, can you stop others from gossiping?”

"Why not? I am the eldest prince of Western Xia. Who dares to gossip about me?"

"And what about your father and mother? What about your younger brother and sister?"

The Western Xia prince fell silent, for he suddenly remembered his nagging mother, and it seemed he truly couldn't stop her nagging.

"Secondly, I am not good at playing musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, or painting, yet you say that the women of Western Xia are forthright and strong-willed, and can teach me horseback riding and archery. But what if I am unwilling to learn even horseback riding and archery?"

The Western Xia prince fell silent again. In their land, horseback riding and archery were essential skills for everyone; even children had to be able to hold a bow and ride a horse.

But he still said, "If you don't want to learn, no one can force you."

"Is that really the case?" Xiao Ran asked in return.

This time, the Western Xia prince did not answer.

Xiao Ran continued, "Thirdly, you just offended my father so blatantly, which shows you don't respect him. If you don't respect my father, how can you respect me? Am I someone you can't do without?"

The Western Xia prince was speechless, and in his anger, he laughed and said, "General Xiao's daughter is quite eloquent. It seems she is unwilling to marry me. In that case, there is nothing to discuss."

Then, he turned and left with his guards.

And so, the palace banquet came to an end.

Her father was detained by Emperor Jingyang, and she could only return to the mansion alone.

Fortunately, her maid Chun Tao was quietly waiting for her outside the palace.

That winter, several snowfalls had already occurred. By now, a thick layer of snow had accumulated on the bluestone path outside the palace. Under Chun Tao's protection, she had to proceed with extreme caution with every step.

It took her a lot of effort to get to the carriage, only to find Ah Fu deep in thought.

"Afu?"

Afu then came to his senses and replied, "Miss."

"let's go."

"Yes."

As soon as Xiao Ran stepped into the carriage, Chun Tao quickly handed her a hot water bottle to warm her hands and carefully covered her with a blanket.

Xiao Ran joked, "I'm not a child, you're treating me like one."

Chun Tao said with a serious expression and righteous indignation, "I watched you grow up. In my eyes, you will always be a child and need to be taken care of."

Xiao Ran was unwilling to refuse her good intentions, so she could only obediently accept it.

Chuntao then peeled an apple for her and handed it to her, saying, "Winter is dry, young lady, eat some fruit to moisturize your body."

Just as Xiao Ran reached out to catch it, Chun Tao shouted.

"what!"

Xiao Ran was also filled with doubt and surprise, because they saw...

An arrow shot straight into the freshly peeled apple.